Current-distributing device for igniting explosive-engines.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

H. DE LA VALETTE. CURRENT DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FOR IGNITING EXPLOSIVEENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1906.

I TTOR/VEKS" To all ivhom it may concern:

HENRI DE LA VALETTE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

CUBBENT-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FOR IGNITING EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 28, 1908.

Application filed May 8, 1906. Serial No. 315,769.

Be it known that I, HENRI DE LA VALETTE,

a citizen of the Re ublic of France, residing use ter is connected by awire h wit a contact ders, and for similar purposes.

at Paris, 111 oulevard de Menilmontant, pi the Republic of France,engineer,- have invented certain new and useful Imrovements inCurrent-Distributing Devices or IgnitingExplosive-Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

f This invention relates to improvements in current distributing devicesfor igniting explosive engines having'a plurality of cylin- Distributingdevices of this kind are now used'with high tension currents, producedby means ofa magneto or of a coil having a trembling part, or the like.Such apparatuses generally comprise a ,metal ring connected to thesource of current, a series of metal keys insulated one from another andconnected to the igniting parts of the cylinders, and a brush whlch utsthe said ring in communication wlth t e different keys successively. Itoften happens that the sparks move off and to a distancebetween thedifi'erent metal pieces and thus give rise to untimely ignitions in thecylinders.

The object of this invention is to avoid this serious drawback, andthesaid invention consists in a particular fitting of the insulat- -1ngparts separating the several metal pieces 1 for the in-coming, andout-going currents.

One embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying which 1Figure 1 is a front elevationof the improved apparatus, the coverand'the brush disk being removed. Fi 2 is a" sectional view on'the lineA-A of l ig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the cover or lid.

, ff'l'n the drawings, a designates a supporting plateof insulatingmaterial, the upper part of which is provided with'a flange a, toreceive the terminal I) for the in-coming current and the terminals 0for the outgoing current designed to be connected to the ignition partsof. a four-cylinder engine. In one face of the said supporting plate areembedded four metal keys at, separately connected with the terminals cbywires e, passingthrough the said plate.

On the su porting plate a is applied a lid falso ofinsu atingmaterial,in the bottom of which is embedded a metal ring The latoutwardly.

drawmgs, 1n

piece 01 located at the periphery of the lid, so

as to be put in communication with the terqninal b, on the lid beingsecured to the supporting plate, which can be done by a sort of bayonetjoint, by means of projections f formed around the lid and which areengaged with corresponding parts 7' integral with the plate.

Between the plate a and the lidf is located a disk is of insulatingmaterial, fixedly secured to the shaft m, which passes through the plateand revolves at a speed equal to half that of the engine shaft, suchengine being assumed to be a four-cyclev one.

Through the said disk and at a certain dis-' tance from its periphery,is located a small tube n inclosing two steel balls 0 and a s iralspring which presses the two said alls These conducting membersconstitute a yielding brush which constantly rides on one side on themetal rin g and successively on the other side on the keys or contactpieces d. When the disk is revolving, the current brought to theterminal I) passes in succession through i, h, g the brush n, 0, each ofthe keys or contact pieces 5 s pieces e, c, and thence to the ignitionparts of the cylinders. The essential advantage of this arrangement isthat it prevents the production of sparks between thein-cominguccessively, and the corresponding Furthermore, the sparkscannot shoot out between the conducting wires stowed away in theinsulating mass of the plate a, or from the lid f, or between theterminals 5, c, the

metal parts of which aresurroundedfin a well known manner, by insulatingmaterial Again, the surface of the insulatlng diskis not liable to berendered conducting by the metal dust coming from the contact pieces,

as happens in some similar apparatuses.

It will be understood, of course, that I may vary the shape of thesupporting plate:

and lid, the manner in which they are'isee cured together, the number ofthe contact pieces and terminals, and the minor details of theconstruction of the several parts,

withou't departin from the present inven tion, theessentia point ofwhich consists in the interposition of the insulating. disk,"

within which is carried the brush, between the contact rin g, located onone side of the pieces-arranged in a circle in the plate, a contactiringlocated in the lid, and a brush located within the revolving disk,adapted to ride on one side on the said contact pieces and on the otherside on the said contact rin Y In a high tension current distributingdevice, the combination of a plate of insulat in'g material, a flangeextending forwardly of-the said plate, terminals on the said flan e,contact pieces arranged in a circle in t e plate, wires stowed awaywithin the plate and connecting the contact pieces to the terminals, alid on the plate, a metal ring in the lid, a contact piece in-theperiphery of the lid adapted to touch the middle terminal on the flangeof the plate, a wire stowed away in the lid and connecting the contactring with the last named contact piece, and a revolvin brush to put thecontact ring successively in communication with the contact pieces ofthe plate. 3. In a device of the character described, the combination ofa revoluble member provided with an aperture extending therethrough, apair of contact balls located within said aperture, a spring mountedwithin said aperture and pressing said balls in 0pposite directions, astationary member provided with a contact ring disposed adjacent to thepath of one of said balls so that the ball in question is pressedthereagainst, and contact members disposed adjacent to the path of theother ball and intermittently engaged by said ball as said revolublemember rotates.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI DE LA VALETTE.

Witnesses QAMYILLE BLETRY, MAURICE Roux.

